Amos 6 (4)

Pray Psalm 7.9-11.
Oh, let the wickedness of the wicked come to an end,
But establish the just;
For the righteous God tests the hearts and minds.
My defense is of God,
Who saves the upright in heart.
God is a just judge,
And God is angry with the wicked every day.

Sing Psalm 7.9-11.
(Finlandia: Be Still, My Soul)
Bring to an end the evil of the wicked,
but let Your righteous ones established be.
You are my shield, my soul will not be stricken;
test heart and mind, my true Defender be.
You are a righteous Judge in every way,
angry at wicked people every day.

Read and meditate on Amos 6.1-11; meditate on verses 9-11.

Preparation
1. What’s happening in these verses?

2. What did God say He would do?

Meditation
Verses 9 and 10 are deeply sad. They show the judgment of God, sworn against the nation, as it is brought to bear in a single household. All the men in the house are dead. A relative comes to collect the bodies, and the scene is so chaotic and gruesome that he can’t even tell if he has them all. He must ask one of those yet surviving whether there are any more of his dead relatives to be carried out.

The survivor answers that there are no more dead inside the house. In the face of such sadness, such ruin and death, the immediate response of an Israelite would be to invoke the Name of the LORD. But the relative cautions against so doing, for he understands that God Himself has brought this ruin upon them. To call on Him at such a time would only bring down more of His judgment, as it was clear that wrath was the current disposition of God’s will toward the nation.

This scene would be repeated all over Israel, in homes and communities throughout the land. Those who did not fall by famine, war, or plague would be carried away captive. The houses of the great and small alike would know the wrath of God, long promised by prophets to whom they would not listen. The nation of Israel would be broken into bits and pieces, never to be constituted again (v. 11).

It is indeed a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God (Heb. 10.31). Was then, is now.

Treasure Old and New: Matthew 13.52; Psalm 119.162
“For behold, the LORD gives a command…” (Amos 6.11).
In this case it was for destruction; but in many cases it is for edification.

Let’s consider the Ten Commandments (Exodus 20.1-17): each one is for either our benefit or the benefit of others.

Or Jesus’ command to: “Follow Me” (Matt. 9.9). To follow Jesus is the epitome of pleasing God—for our benefit and the benefit of others.

As Jesus said to Paul: “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me? I AM Jesus, whom you are persecuting. It is hard for you to kick against the goads” (Acts 9.4, 5).

Vocabulary.com informs that a goad is a pointy stick or other instrument used to prod something along. To goad is to poke something with that pointy stick. Either way, the pointiness is really essential for making things leap into action.

Saul/Paul was kicking against the One Who was trying to change his life; trying to save his life; trying to lead him into a life that would be pleasing to God and helpful to others.

The LORD gives a command. The point is for us to leap into action. Into obedience to Him and His call on our lives.

Do we get the point? Or are we kicking against it?

“Hear, you who are afar off, what I have done;
and you who are near, acknowledge My might” (Is. 33.13).

Here is how not to kick against the point of God’s grace:
“LORD, who may abide in Your tabernacle?
Who may dwell in Your holy hill?
He who walks uprightly,
and works righteousness,
and speaks the truth in his heart;
he who does not backbite with his tongue,
nor does evil to his neighbor,
nor does he take up a reproach against his friend;
in whose eyes a vile person is despised,
but he honors those who fear the LORD;
he who swears to his own hurt and does not change;
he who does not put out his money at usury,
nor does he take a bribe against the innocent.
He who does these things shall never be moved” (Ps. 15.1-5).

God gives us a command, just as He did to the people of Amos’ day. They didn’t listen, and their life could not be put back together again.

Paul was prodded and kicked against it; but then he heard God’s command. And followed Jesus to the end. He got the point.

Do we want our churches to crumble into bits and pieces?

Clearly, we do not. But we have all been given a command from God.
Will we kick against it? Or, Will we follow Him? To the end? (Ps. 119.112)

Reflection
1. What “command” are you hearing from the Lord from today’s study?

2. What will you do to prepare for carrying out that command?

3. How do you expect your obedience to that command to spread the grace of God to others (2 Cor. 4.15)?

We now apprehend the Prophet's object: he means that such would be the grievousness of this last calamity, that the Israelites would really find that God was an enemy incensed against them, so that they would cast aside the false glorying which filled them with pride; yea, that they would dread the very name of God, for they would know that nothing would be better for them than to be hid from his presence. John Calvin (1509-1564),Commentary on Amos 6.10

Pray Psalm 7.1-8.
Pray for revival of God’s people, renewal in His churches, and a great awakening to faith in Jesus worldwide. Pray that multitudes will begin to call upon the Name of the Lord.

Sing Psalm 7.1-8.
(Finlandia: Be Still, My Soul)
O LORD, my God, I trust in You: O save me!
Deliver me from all who seek my life.
If in my hands, You find iniquity,
or any evil, any wicked strife,
then let my foe pursue and overtake me,
and without honor I shall surely be.

Arise, O LORD, rise up in wrath to save me!
Let rage and judgment fall upon my foes!
From all who know You let abundant praise be;
rise up on high; the wicked curse with woes.
O Judge of all, judge now my righteousness
and my integrity, approve and bless.

T. M. and Susie Moore

If you have found this meditation helpful, take a moment and give thanks to God. Then share what you learned with a friend. This is how the grace of God spreads (2 Cor. 4.15).

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Except as indicated, all Scriptures are taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. For sources of all quotations, see the weekly PDF of this study. All psalms for singing are from The Ailbe Psalter.